T2 washroom becomes delivery room for 16-yr-old from Saudi

The incident occurred yesterday when the 16-year-old suddenly went into labour while relieving herself; she was spotted by a housekeeping staffer, who immediately informed the on-duty medical staff, and the baby boy was delivered safely

A washroom in the city’s gleaming Terminal 2 aka T2 became the site of a delivery yesterday, with a 16-year-old from Saudi Arabia giving birth to a baby boy. This is the first time since T2 became operational in January 2014 that a delivery has taken place there.

The incident occurred yesterday after the Saudi national visited one the washrooms to relieve herself and suddenly went into labour. She was spotted by a housekeeper and the on-duty Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL) medical staff were alerted. The medical staff helped the teenager deliver safely.

A safe deliveryAirport authorities said the girl and her family (mother, brother and two sisters) were to fly to Riyadh by AI 921 at 12.45 pm. They had flown in from Hyderabad (AI 527) around 8.05 am.

An MIAL spokesperson said, “A Saudi national travelling to Riyadh (Hyderabad-Mumbai-Riyadh) delivered a boy in the restroom. It was housekeeping staffer Sweta Satpal who informed the MIAL doctors about the situation, who then rushed to the restroom and ensured a safe delivery.

She went into labour in the restroom. The mother and the baby are fine and were shifted to Seven Hills Hospital. While the delivery process began at 1.45 pm, the baby was out by 1.56 pm.” The spokesperson added that the girl went into labour while she was relieving herself.

Soon after the delivery, airport authorities completed the immigration produce and shifted the mother and the newborn to Seven Hills Hospital by 3.25 pm. After a quick check up by the gynaecologist in the casualty ward, the baby was taken to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), while the mother was taken to the labour room for thorough medical examination.

One of the doctors from the hospital said, “The patient had to be checked for any uneasiness or foetal remains (if any). However, both the baby and mother are normal. The baby is in NICU because it was a premature delivery (eight months), even the mother is doing well.”

Payment issuesSenior airport officials said the girl’s family has claimed they are penniless and cannot pay the hospital bill. “Since the family has claimed that it cannot pay the hospital bill, the airline (Air India) as well as the airport operator (MIAL) were informed.

But none of them have given any confirmation on bill payment,” the official said. “If the family fails to pay the bill, the mother and the baby will be shifted to a civic hospital.

Medically, both can be given a discharged tomorrow,” said a doctor, adding, “There are two possibilities for the girl managing to fly in her condition despite the rules forbidding her from doing so without a doctor’s permission. Either the girl was clueless about her pregnancy or the family hid it from the airport officials.”

Did you know?While women who are less than seven months pregnant can travel by air, those in more advanced stages require doctor’s permission for the same.